The Princess and the Faunus
by Hafl
Summary: When a young noblewoman gets stranded in the wilderness, a Faunus runaway might be her only chance for survival. Medieval Remnant AU
1. I - Journey by Sea

**The Princess and the Faunus: Chapter One**

The lights of the Atlas coastline were starting to disappear in the distance as Weiss was left alone with her thoughts under the night sky. From what the Captain had said, it was better to set sail with the evening tide, as that was when the aquatic Grimm were the least likely to be active. The Captain had hoped to put as much distance as possible between the ship and the port where Grimm often congregated under the waves, waiting for anyone unfortunate enough to touch the water and provide their next meal.

Strangely, Weiss did not feel afraid when boarding the ship. The idea of sailing over the ocean filled with Grimm with only a thin layer of wood protecting her wasn't as terrifying as expected- Hundreds of men and women had done the same every day, risking their lives to maintain the fragile threads of communication and trade between the kingdoms. Those men and women had families, somewhere to go beside the ocean. Weiss had nothing of the sort, not anymore.

She had no illusions about why her father was sending her off to be married at Vale. It wasn't for a political alliance – things of that sort were worthless with how distant the kingdoms were from each other. No, it was to be rid of her. After Winter ran away to become a Huntress, Weiss was her father's heir and unlike Winter, father had always viewed Weiss as something of a disappointment. With Weiss gone, Whitley would become the new heir. Not that it concerned Weiss. The light that just disappeared on the horizon was likely the last glimpse of Atlas she'd ever have.

The sea route to Vale was near the coast. Not because it was shorter, but because if a Grimm attack occurred, the crew would have a chance, albeit a slight one, of reaching the shore. There they'd have another chance, also a slight one, of reaching a settlement alive. Weiss was somehow comforted by this. No matter her father's power over life and death in Atlas, she was now in the outside world where it didn't matter.

The evening breeze was chilly, but Weiss stayed on the deck, watching the stars in the sky. Far away from the defiant bright lights and fires of Atlas, the stars shined bright in the clear sky and allowed sailors to go about their duties without any torches. Lights on board could attract the Grimm.

"Are you well, your Highness?" asked the Captain, a stout man whose days of doing manual work on board were clearly over, but who still carried himself with surprising ease and grace.

"Yes, thank you Captain," replied Weiss, "If you don't mind, I'd like to stay on deck for a little longer." It felt odd to ask permission of anyone who was not her father, but she remembered being told that a Captain was considered to be the absolute master of his ship.

"Of course, your Highness," the Captain said, "The cabins can get a bit stuffy at night."

He coughed. "If the winds hold, we should reach Vale in a week. If they don't we could make the same time by rowing. That said…"

"I understand, Captain," said Weiss, "There's no hurry and no need to endanger the ship and the crew."

"Thank you, your Highness," said the Captain and bowed. "I should inspect the crew now. If you'll excuse me." He walked away, hand of pommel of his naval sabre. It was more of a status symbol, but a Captain was expected to fight to his last breath to ensure the safety of any passengers entrusted to their ship.

Weiss breathed in the night air. It had the smell of freedom to it. A small freedom, confined to the small wooden vessel and lasting only a week, but freedom none the less. She wanted to savor it and to enjoy it the best she could, but her long day had finally caught up with her and she felt tired.

Her cabin was probably second only to the Captain's in size and furnishing, but it still felt a bit cramped. The small lamp illuminating it was more than enough to see and the thick curtains over the porthole did not let any light leak out. Weiss sighed and started to undress herself. The cabin did feel stuffy; what fresh air got in through the porthole and the curtain was not enough. That probably wouldn't matter as she felt tired enough to fall asleep anywhere.

The next three days at sea passed by uneventfully. Weiss spent most of the time up on deck, getting as much fresh air as she could and watching the coastline. It seemed like it was less than a mile away, but Weiss tried to avoid thinking about what it'd be like to tray and swim to it pursued by the large shadows she had sometimes seen moving under the water.

Leaving the ever-present threat of the Grimm aside, the open nature looked beautiful. Autumn was already coloring the leaves of the coastal forests and their sheer expanse took Weiss' breath away. The open space and all the beautiful sights of wild woods and cliffs made Weiss think that she understood why the sailors and traders risked their lives travelling between the kingdoms. Compared to huddling behind walls of fortified cities, always fearful that they won't be enough to hold back the Grimm should they attack, facing danger in the open felt like a better option.

The accident happened just as Weiss was thinking about all that. A seagull flew a bit too close to the water at a bad moment. A huge aquatic monster leapt up to swallow it whole and its tail hit the ship, causing one of the sailor to fall into the water. Before anyone could do anything, the man screamed briefly before disappearing under the waves, leaving only an expanding patch of red behind. That was all it took for a few of the local Grimm to figure out that the fragile wooden toy was full of meat.

The whole ship shook as a creature rammed it, but no one fell into the water this time. The whole ship creaked as the pilot tried to steer it towards the coastline as quickly as he could. The rest of the crew was abandoning their posts to grab harpoons. The weapons looked tiny compared to the underwater shadows, but if they helped the crew delay the inevitable for just a moment… Every little bit of distance the ship crossed was a bit the survivors wouldn't have to cross on their own.

Weiss panicked for a moment, but then instinct and training took over. Her hand reached for the hilt of a rapier that wasn't there. Cursing silently, she started to run to her cabin, almost crashing into the Captain who was emerging from below decks wielding a large crossbow. It wouldn't help much, but it could buy precious seconds.

Her rapier hung in its scabbard on the cabin's wall, neglected since she came aboard. Weiss took it and felt a little bit reassured, even though the fine steel blade wasn't enough to kill any large or old Grimm. Her relief was short-lived as something crashed into the ship and Weiss lost her balance. She grasped at the curtain in an attempt to hold on to it, but she only succeeded in tearing it down. A giant eye was now starting inside through the porthole.

Weiss did not lose any time. She thrust the rapier at the eye. The glass in the porthole shattered, shards of it flying into the exposed eyeball together with the steel blade. Weiss plunged the weapon as deep as possible before yanking it out. A spray of Grimm blood rushed out, staining Weiss' white dress as the wounded monster let out a horrible scream.

The wounded Grimm thrashed about, hitting the ship with its bulk as Weiss staggered out of her cabin and back up onto the deck. She was greeted by an appalling sight. Most of the sailor were dead, their torn bodies littering the deck and the last survivors hiding up in the rigging where the Grimm couldn't reach for now. There were several harpoons and crossbow bolts stuck in the Grimm's thick skin, but they did not seem to be slowing it down much. It was still doing its best to sink the ship.

Weiss heard a scream from behind. She turned around to see that a Grimm shaped like a flying fish had leapt out of the water and attacked the ship's pilot. The man fell into the ocean with his attacker biting deep into his chest and the ship's wheel started to swerve wildly. The vessel started turning away from the collision course with the coastline and Weiss started running. Foolish or not, swimming was the only chance of reaching the shore.

Her run was interrupted by the ship crashing into an underwater reef and stopping. Weiss was launched into the air, flying towards the ocean surface, only a few dozen yards away from the shore. She had the presence of mind to use her semblance to slow down her descent and she entered the water with barely a splash.

Weiss' descent was so slow that she resurfaced almost immediately. The water barely disturbed, she had a chance to start moving before Grimm were attracted by her movement. She fumbled to stay afloat while trying to sheathe her rapier. If she got ashore, she would need it.

Screams were still ringing out behind her as the sailor still alive on the sinking ship were now attacked by ravenous Grimm. The sounds impelled Weiss to try moving faster.

Around the halfway point, the last screams from the ship fell silent. No one else turned out to be as lucky as her. Was this what her father had hoped for when he sent her away on this journey? Weiss banished her thought from her mind: she had to swim. The current fought against her, but she kept moving. It was impossible to look behind, but Weiss was sure that the Grimm were done with their feast and searching for fresh prey. Her muscles were starting to ache from the exertion and her waterlogged dress was dragging her down with its weight.

There was a soft splash behind her and images of dozens of aquatic Grimm silently swimming towards her flooded Weiss' mind. She redoubled her efforts; the shore was so close that Weiss felt like she could touch it. Suddenly, she hit the ground and acting by pure instinct, she readjusted her position and started wading towards dry ground. She heard more splashes from behind and this time, she was free to turn around and look. The Grimm were so close to the shore they could no longer hide underwater. Their jaws were snapping and they were jumping around, eager to get at the prey that was escaping them.

Weiss was out of the water by now. Her simple sandals had slipped off her feet during the swim and she was stumbling forward barefoot, the seashell shards mixed in the sand stabbing her feet. Just a few steps more and she'd be out of immediate danger.

An enormous weight suddenly hit her from behind and she felt her left arm being torn. She screamed out in pain, the sound echoing through the forest. A large fish-like Grimm was now flopping on the sandy beach, helpless outside the water. Weiss stumbled away from the creature, drawing her rapier with her uninjured arm.

Blood was dripping onto the sand from her wound as she tried to figure out how to attack the beast. It could only flop around on dry land, but its razor sharp fins and scales could still be dangerous. As with the gigantic monster outside her cabin, the eyes seemed to be the only weak point. She thrust her rapier at one of the eyes and felt it go in. Blood spurted out as she removed the blade. The Grimm opened its maw in a silent scream before it stopped moving.

The Grimm was dead, but Weiss knew that she was done for. She was wounded and the smell of blood was sure to attract more Grimm, this time ones that were not helpless on dry land. Atlas was three days of journey by ship away and other than that, she had no idea about where she was. She dragged her feet towards the treeline, each step feeling like lifting a heavy lead weight. She was taught that the tides were stronger in ancient times before the moon was broken, but there still were tides and they allowed aquatic Grimm to get closer to the shore. She couldn't be sure she was out of reach until she could hide among the trees.

Weiss collapsed almost as soon as she reached the first tree. Her arm had stopped bleeding, but there was a trail of blood leading from where she killed the Grimm and she felt light-headed. The cuts on her arm were deep and jagged, but they seemed like a surface wound only, even if one that led to loss of a lot of blood. If a Grimm did not find her, she was going to survive the rapidly approaching night.

With her last strength, Weiss managed to prop herself up against a tree trunk, her back to the beach. She was cold, but she had no idea how to build a fire or if the fire would attract Grimm. It was still late summer in Atlas and she was a fair distance away: she was not going to freeze to death at night. She hoped.

Her waterlogged dress was another matter. It was her only garment, but keeping it on would only make her colder. Even bare skin was better than that and this was no time for false modesty. She hissed in pain as the heavy, wet fabric slid over the fresh cuts. Were the Grimm capable of figuring out that a human was nearby just from seeing the dress? If she hung it over a low branch, it might dry off a bit before morning.

While she was mulling this over, she heard a rustle of leaves coming from deeper inside the forest. She tried to look around to look in its direction, but she was too weak and fell to the ground instead. There was no chance of offering resistance. Even if she was strong enough to wield her rapier, she couldn't fight off an ordinary animal, much less a Grimm.

She lay on the ground, waiting for death while the creature was approaching. It was dark, but Weiss could recognize the still darker black outside of the creature's legs as it moved closer. They were human legs.

"Help me, please," she managed to say as the other person drew closer.

Weiss looked up. Her savior was a girl her age, with long black hair, golden eyes, and cat ears.

A Faunus.


	2. II - Charity

It was almost night when Blake heard the screams coming from the sea. She had heard similar a handful of times before and it was always a human ship falling victim to the Grimm. There were never many survivors and the Fang took care of those. Aside from that, a wrecked ship also meant opportunity. Grimm usually didn't pay much attention to cargo and Blake was in need of supplies.

The wind must have carried the screams from quite a distance away, but Blake knew it was better to be careful. Any surviving crew might attempt to protect the cargo washed ashore. It was better to wait until they took what they could and set out on their hopeless journey back home. Blake stayed hidden in the forest as she walked along the edge of the beach in the direction the sound came from, but she sometimes looked out to see if she could spot any wreckage.

Finally she arrived at a spot where she could see a large ship wrecked on a reef rather close to the shore. The water nearby looked calm, but Blake knew better than to try and swim in the sea now. The feast might have ended, but the Grimm were sure to be still lurking around, hoping for more food. Instead, she tried to approach closer to look for any cargo that came loose and washed ashore.

Blake heard rustling coming from trees near the wreck site and when she tried peeking out of the treeline, she found a trail of blood coming from the sandy beach and disappearing in the forest near to where the sound had come from. A survivor, perhaps a badly wounded one, no doubt about it. Blake crept through the trees and low bushes closer to where the survivor was. If they were wounded, a quick death would be a mercy. The Fang only had use for healthy humans.

The survivor turned out to be a young woman around Blake's age. When Blake came into sight, the woman had just finished hanging a white dress onto a low branch which sagged under the added weight of waterlogged cloth. Then the woman collapsed to the ground. Blake started to move forward on instinct, inadvertently crushing some dry leaves with her hasty movement.

The white-haired woman raised her head and mumbled something unintelligible at Blake. Then she shrank away, trying to distance herself away. Once again, she said some words Blake was unable to decipher. She looked like she was trying to scream, but her voice was too weak to be heard. Before Blake could cross the distance between them, the woman got back up on her feet with help from the tree trunk and drew an expensive looking sword, holding it shaking in front of her. "Don't come any closer, savage," she croaked out, her voice hoarse.

Blake stopped. The girl was frightened and it was probably her first time seeing a Faunus with her own eyes. From what Blake knew about the stories humans told about her people, a reaction like this wasn't unreasonable.

Blake thought. She could just turn around and leave the girl be. The Grimm might get her or the Fang salvagers might get her. It was none of Blake's business. The last thing she needed was having to care for a clumsy human girl that looked like perfect Grimm bait with her pristine white hair and flawless pale skin ; both shining in the deepening night like a beacon. But…

This was why Blake left: the casual cruelty and disregard for lives, all in the name of survival, but more likely out of pure callousness. The girl needed help and Blake would provide it.

"Calm down, I won't hurt you," she said to the girl.

The girl didn't reply and still kept her sword ready, but Blake could clearly see that she was straining herself just to keep the blade up. When Blake stepped forward and pushed the blade aside, the girl didn't offer any resistance. "Put that away, you don't need it right now," she said, gently prying the sword out of an unresisting hand.

"I saw blood on the beach, are you wounded?" asked Blake and the girl nodded.

"Show me," said Blake and the girl obediently raised her arm, covered with jagged bloody scratches.

Blake examined the wound. It was messy, but it seemed that the bone was intact and that nothing important was severed or torn. "I'll clean it out," said Blake, "Hold still."

She reached for her waterskin. If she wasn't mistaken, there was a stream nearby, so she could replenish her water easily. The girl sighed as Blake poured water over the wound, washing away particles of sand and dirt. Thinking about bandaging the wound, Blake looked at the girl's white dress. It would make for good bandages: the fabric was strong, but it was still dripping with seawater and besides, the girl would need something to wear and she looked much smaller than Blake.

Sighing, Blake opened her pack and cut a strip of fabric from her camping blanket. It was a bit too thick to be a good bandage, but it was the only thing she had that could survive the loss. She wrapped it around the girl's wound, making sure not to tie it too tight. All the while, the girl was sitting slumped against the tree trunk, not offering any resistance or help to Blake.

"Are you thirsty?" asked Blake, offering the girl her waterskin and what little water remained inside it. "Here, take this."

The girl drank the water with an absent expression on her face. Meanwhile, Blake was rummaging in her pack. She had enough with her for one person, but it would have to do for two for the foreseeable future. Most of her supplies were dry fruits, light and filling, but she had hoped to supplement them with some hunting which was out of the question now. As for clothes… There was only her rain cloak. It would have to do.

"Put this on," she said to the girl as she handed it over, "You need to stay warm."

The girl nodded wordlessly and wrapped herself in the heavy fabric. Blake then pulled out the camping blanket she had used to make bandages. Even with the strip missing, it was more than large enough. "You should sleep," said Blake, "Don't worry, I'll keep watch."

The girl looked at her and it was plain to see that she was suspicious of Blake's motives. "If I wanted to rob and kill you, I could have done it over a dozen times already," said Blake. The girl took the blanket and huddled under it, closing her eyes.

It didn't take long for the girl's breathing to slow down into a peaceful rhythm. When it did, Blake took the girl's dress. As expected it was heavy with water and smelled of sea and… Grimm blood. Whoever this girl was, she clearly had some experience with that sword of hers. She didn't know much about surviving in the wild, though, if she expected the dress to just dry out on its own overnight when it was this drenched. Or housework, for the matter.

Blake spent some time wringing the water out of the dress. The girl needed clothing and this was the only piece available even if it was just as eye-catching as the girl herself. Satisfied that she got as much water out of the garment as possible, Blake started clearing out a spot of dead leaves and started building a fire. She hesitated for a moment about leaving the girl alone, but she needed to go out and find some larger pieces of wood if she wanted the fire to last throughout the night. The sea had started washing out pieces of the wrecked ship by now, but they would be too waterlogged to be of any use. Instead, Blake had to head deeper into the forest at night. She looked at the girl to make sure she was doing well. Her breathing was steady and her cheeks were slightly red from the warmth provided by the blanket. If no Grimm found her, she would be safe at least until the morning. In the morning, Fang salvagers would start arriving at the wreck site.

It wouldn't be difficult to find some firewood; driftwood was plentiful this close to the sea, but Blake needed something that would keep burning for the entire night. Ship debris was still soaked with tar that would make it burn bright and fast. Giving the sleeping girl one more look to make sure that she was safe, Blake ventured deeper into the forest. She was soon distracted from her goal by the sound of a stream nearby. She still had enough water with her, but it was always good to refill her supplies. A small stream was flowing towards the stream, almost hidden under many fallen trees and branches. Blake quickly filled up her waterskin and started inspecting the fallen trees to see if any would be of use to her. A pile of logs covered in moss quickly attracted her attention with young trees already sprouting all around it. When Blake tried to pull a protruding log out of the pile, she found it surprisingly easy. The moss fell off and peeled away, revealing that there was a large empty space between the logs. The recently risen moon had provided enough light for Blake to see what was inside: bones. Human or Faunus: there was no way to tell with how broken and shattered they were.

Blake shuddered and traces of fighting now seemed apparent to her where there were none before. Bits of rusty metal were lying in the stream and some trees had claw marks on them. Someone died fighting the Grimm here a long time ago. At least whoever it was still had friends alive who could bury them in this makeshift mound.

She shook her head. It didn't matter what happened. The log was large and sturdy enough to not burn up quickly, the people were long dead, and she needed to build a fire. She took the log and her waterskin and returned to the girl. It didn't seem like she budged at all while Blake was gone.

Soon she had a fire crackling, spreading warmth and light through the night. Blake settled down on the ground on the other side of the fire from the girl. She was sleepy and tired, but she needed to make sure the fire would keep going for at least few more without spreading. She kept it going and fed it smaller pieces of wood until it the large log finally caught fire. It should burn slowly enough to last for some time.

Blake shifted her position so that she would have a clear view of the girl. She couldn't let herself stare at the fire if she wanted her night vision to work to its full capacity and the girl's face was as good as anything to watch. Even asleep the girl looked tense, but Blake couldn't sense her shivering. In fact, her pale cheeks glowed red with warmth.

Why was she doing this? The fire would tell anyone paying attention that there was someone in the woods and Blake knew that she should keep moving until she was out of Fang territory at least. It wasn't too late. She could still get up and walk away and leave the white girl to fend for herself. Even if she talked when caught – and why would she? – She would have no idea where Blake went or where she was headed. Neither did Blake for the matter.

Blake kept looking at the girl, trying to imagine how she looked in her eyes. Would she be grateful when she woke up? Or would she still be afraid of Blake the 'savage'? She hoped that it wouldn't be the latter even though the judgment of a complete stranger should mean less than nothing to her. The girl had to be someone important: the hilt of that sword of hers was finally decorated and her skin was so pale she couldn't have spent a full day outside in her life. Maybe it was true that humans all lived in caves to hide from the Grimm.

A wind started blowing from sea to the north, bringing cold air with it. Blake shuddered and added some more driftwood to the fire to make it larger. As the fire crackled, shadows began to dance all around, shifting over the nearby tree trunks and the sleeping girl's face. Blake watched the movement until the flames started to calm down again. The wind continued to blow and Blake was still cold.

She looked at the girl again. Even with the strip of fabric missing, the blanket was large enough for two. And the girl was wearing Blake's travelling cloak. So she was clothed under the blanket. It was perfectly fine to join her under it.

Blake stood up and silently moved over. She lifted an edge of the blanket and slipped under it, careful to not disturb the sleeping girl. Once covered, Blake relaxed a little. It was wonderfully warm under the blanket and there was still some space left between her and the white-haired girl. The disadvantage was that she could no longer look at the girl without feeling that she was far too close and there was nothing else to observe while keeping watch.

She had to force herself to look into the wood and the deep darkness. The crackling of the fire slowed, but Blake still felt warm. Her breathing started to slow down and soon she vaguely realized it was in sync with the sleeping girl's own breath. The fire kept burning and the large log was smoldering lazily. It would last for some time. Blake closed her eyes and let herself drift away to sleep.


	3. III - Traveling Companions

Weiss never remembered much about her dreams except for vague impressions. This time, she recalled warmth and softness, but with an unpleasant undertone of blood to it. She slowly opened her eyes as the memories of the previous day came back. Her dress was hanging on a branch, fluttering in the breeze, but she felt like she was clothed. More than that, she was wrapped up in something that felt like a blanket. Weiss' recollection of the last moments before she fell asleep was still fuzzy. There was someone else, she was almost sure about it. They must have helped her. A pile of ashes was in front of her: she didn't remember building a fire. She didn't even know how to build a fire.

As Weiss tried to remember, she realized that there was something warm next to her. She turned around to look and she finally recalled all. The Faunus girl who found her was sleeping next to her. Weiss panicked for a moment. Surely, the Faunus only helped her to take her captive, to drag her into some sort of forest lair and… Weiss didn't know. The people telling stories like that usually didn't know themselves or if they did, they could never agree among themselves which version was correct. However, Weiss' rapier was lying sheathed under her dress, freely accessible. If the Faunus wanted to take her captive, she would've had hidden it or broke it.

This reassured Weiss as she pondered what was to come next. Even if the Faunus had helped her, she was on her own. There had to be more Faunus nearby and Weiss couldn't bring herself to believe other would be that kind. All the stories about travelers and even entire merchant caravans disappearing with no Grimm nearby had to come from somewhere. She looked at the Faunus girl again. She was much prettier than what Weiss expected a Faunus to be. Now that the memories of the previous evening had come back, Weiss remembered her golden eyes and how striking they looked.

The cat ears… Weiss realized that she had never before seen a Faunus from such close distance. The cat ears seemed real, though Weiss had only ever seen her father's white cat from up close. Weiss looked at the Faunus girl's face again to make sure that she was asleep and then she reached out with her free hand to touch the cat ears.

Weiss only had a split second to enjoy the wonderful feeling of softness before the girl's eyes flew open and she flinched away from the touch. "What are you doing?!" she exclaimed.

"Sorry!" Weiss blurted out and shrank back. "I just…" _thought you wouldn't wake up._ There was no way she could finish that sentence. Touching sleeping strangers, even Faunus, wasn't okay just because you didn't wake them up.

The Faunus girl sighed. "Don't do it again," she said, frowning slightly.

"I'm sorry," said Weiss and bowed her head, "Thank you. You saved me, didn't you?"

"I just made sure you wouldn't catch a cold," said the Faunus girl, "But we should get moving."

"Why?" asked Weiss, "And wait. _We_ should get moving?"

"You don't know the land and you have no supplies," said the Faunus matter-of-factly, "You wouldn't make it alone. So _we_ have to start moving right now, since the Fang salvagers might arrive at any time."

The Faunus girl was right, but it all still seemed a bit too convenient. She couldn't have known Weiss' ship would fall victim to the Grimm, but Weiss still couldn't bring herself to trust a Faunus without questions.

"I'll be keeping my weapon," Weiss said.

The Faunus girl shrugged. "It's yours. As long as you don't attack me, it's up to you what you do with it."

"Fine," said Weiss, "But do you have any idea where you're going."

The Faunus shook her head. "Not really," she said, "For the moment, I just want to get out of the Fang territory."

Whatever this Fang was, it sounded like some kind of organization and that would mean they'd probably have some place to stay in relative safety. Yet this girl had chosen to wander around the wilderness instead. "Are you a criminal that you're trying to run away from this 'Fang'?" asked Weiss, her hand searching for the hilt of her rapier.

"Criminal? Hardly," said the girl, "The Fang and I don't agree on a lot of things now, but I haven't broken any law of theirs."

"What is this Fang, exactly? Is it some sort of tribe?" interrogated Weiss. The Faunus lived in tribes, right?

"It used to be," the girl said and paused, "Then other villages started to join up and now there's about a hundred of them."

"Can you take me to one of them?" said Weiss, "Or just point me the right way."

"The only humans allowed in White Fang villages are Hunters and slaves," said the girl, "You don't look to be the former and I don't think you want to be the latter."

Of course the Faunus kept slaves. Something like that was to be expected of savages. Then Weiss remembered the huddled groups of Faunus and other unfortunates she had sometimes seen from distance before they were sent to labor in the mines. "I suppose that's fair," she said at length.

"Where are you going then?" asked Weiss, "You must have a destination in mind."

The girl was silent for a while. "I don't really want to talk about that," she said at last, "I'm looking for someone, that's all I'm going to say."

"Suit yourself," said Weiss, "Just don't expect me to trust you if you keep secrets."

"I'm the one who's going to be in trouble because of you," said the girl, "Anyone can spot that dress of yours from miles away and you don't look like you know the first thing about traveling in the wild. You're going to have to trust me if you want to stay alive even if you can fight off a Grimm or two."

"I can take care of myself," shot back Weiss, "And I don't need a… a Faunus to help me."

Neither of them said anything for a while. Early morning birds were singing around them and the leaves rustled in morning wind. Weiss was glaring at the Faunus girl, angry that she was indebted to someone like that. It wasn't supposed to be like this. She was supposed to be in Vale, married to some man she didn't know or care about. She'd close her eyes on her wedding night, give him a child or two, do her job. Then he wouldn't be able to complain that Weiss was spending too much time with pretty maidservants and the like. Instead of that boring, comfortable life she got almost torn apart by ravenous beasts and now there was this insufferable Faunus girl offering her help and Weiss couldn't believe she didn't have an ulterior motive for that. Maybe she wanted revenge for all those Faunus slaves in Atlesian mines or maybe she recognized Weiss and wanted to keep her hostage for ransom, though Weiss had no idea what would a Faunus do with riches.

"I'm not leaving you to die," said the Faunus girl finally, "I'm taking you to Vale and once we're there you're free to do whatever you want."

"I have no choice, do I?" spat back Weiss.

"You do," said the Faunus, "Come with me or die."

That wasn't really a choice. Who would choose death in a situation like this? "Fine," said Weiss, "I'll go to Vale with you."

The Faunus girl nodded. "I'm Blake," she said, offering her hand to Weiss.

At first, Weiss didn't understand. Shaking hands was something men did. The Master of Ceremonies back at home used to say it was to show that their hands were empty of weapons. Maybe with the Faunus, everyone, including women, had to fight to survive.

She took the Faunus girl's hand and shook it. Her grasp was unexpectedly firm. "I'm Weiss," she said. No need to mention her family. She would be probably declared dead immediately after the word of the ship's disappearance reached her father.

"Do you know how to get to Vale?" asked Weiss as they started out on their march.

"Roughly," said Blake, "We'll be able to ask for directions in few days assuming we find a village."

"Can't we just follow the coastline?" said Weiss, "I know that Vale lies by the sea."

"The coastline's no good," replied Blake, "The Grimm like it, since shipwrecks provide easy prey."

The Grimm. Weiss was so preoccupied with other concerns that she almost forgot about this threat. "How do you plan on dealing with the Grimm?"

"By avoiding them." Blake smiled. "They likely won't attack if we don't disturb them. At least for as long as they smell Grimm blood on you. Other than that, we have to get lucky. A lonely Beowolf or two, we could probably handle. An Ursa, we could run away from. We could maybe hide from a Nevermore. Anything rarer than that? We're dead."

"This wasn't a comforting prospect. With how exhausted she felt after swimming to the shore yesterday Weiss wasn't sure she could outrun anything, much less a Grimm. Blake probably could though, especially if the pursuer was busy devouring Weiss.

Neither Blake nor Weiss were talking as they ate a breakfast of dried fruits and set off. They traveled through the forest, following animal trails to make their footing at least a little easier in the tangle of fallen branches, roots and low bushes. Weiss spent of the time observing her new guide. Except for the extra pair of cat ears, she looked exactly like a human. She was taller than Weiss and it was obvious that she was more muscular. And her eyes. Weiss was certain that even if she didn't first see them in the evening gloom that made them stand out even more, she would never forget those golden eyes. They looked human, but Weiss was reminded of her father's white cat's eyes anyway.

Would Blake turn around if she spoke to her? Weiss wanted to see those eyes again. She and Blake were only temporary traveling companions, but there was nothing wrong in enjoying the company, was there?

"Uh, Blake." Said Weiss, "Did you leave anyone behind when you left?"

Blake stopped and turned around. Her golden eyes were looking at Weiss with sudden suspicion. "What brought this on?" she asked.

"I was just wondering if you had any family, or…" Weiss paused. "Anyone important."

Blake turned and started walking again. "What about you?" she replied, "Is there anyone waiting for you?"

"I was on my way to be married," said Weiss, "I don't think that'll happen now."

"I left someone behind," said Blake, "But I don't really regret that."

Weiss picked up the pace, so that instead of walking a little behind Blake, she was now side by side with her. In spite of her words, Blake's face looked melancholy and Weiss' heart sank a little. Whoever this someone was, Blake still clearly missed him. Probably him. Weiss didn't think she'd be that fortunate.

"Who was it?" she asked softly, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Blake remained quiet for a moment. "The leader of the White Fang," she finally spoke, "That's why they're trying to catch me."

It was Weiss' turn to be suspicious, but she did her best to avoid showing it. From what she had heard, this White Fang hated almost all humans and if Blake was involved with its leader and still missed him – definitely him – she maybe didn't really want to help Weiss. Maybe all Weiss was to Blake was a bargaining chip: a slave in exchange for free passage. Her hand unconsciously found the hilt of her rapier again. She didn't want to believe Blake would do that, but Blake was a Faunus.

A sudden rustle in front of them made Weiss instinctively draw her rapier, but Blake was even faster. Startled birds flew out of the bush only to collide with Blake's blades. As the dead birds fell to the ground, Blake lowered her strange and unfamiliar looking weapon. "We found our dinner," she said.

The sun was close to the horizon and Blake insisted that she had heard a stream running somewhere nearby, so they settled for the night. While Blake was preparing the birds to be cooked, Weiss was to get firewood. This suited Weiss just fine. She needed to be alone with her thoughts.

She had always kept her preferences hidden ever since she became aware of them, but now that she was away from Atlas, away from civilization, and presumed dead, Weiss felt that there was little need for continuing to do so. Back at home, none of the pretty maidservants would have dared to say 'no' to the Princess, but either rumors would spread or the girl would take advantage and blackmail her. So she contented herself with watching and observing, hoping to catch any signal that would tell her that her attention would be welcome. She never noticed any.

Now Blake. She was attractive: tall, fine features, striking eyes, wonderful figure. And even though she was a Faunus, that wasn't really a disadvantage out here. Not to mention the ears. Weiss felt herself flush when she recalled that wonderful soft feeling of that one brief touch. Blake was a Faunus, but nobody had to know. It could stay between the two of them and the endless forest.

She was a Faunus though and a fugitive. There was no guarantee she wouldn't abandon Weiss or even betray her to save her own skin. It was tempting, but Weiss spent more than enough time at her father's court to let herself be misled by a pretty face. Even if Blake was exceedingly pretty. But a Faunus.

Weiss shook her head and focused on picking up some more fallen branches. She knew almost nothing about Blake and Blake was right in saying that she wouldn't be able to make it to civilization on her own. No matter what else, that took priority.

Blake was already ready when she returned with a small pile of wood. Devoid of feathers, the dead birds looked even smaller than before, but Weiss understood that they had to preserve their less perishable supplies. She observed Blake making the fire, her thoughts from just moments before returning. No, she had to be sensible. Blake was practically a stranger and a dangerous one at that.

She couldn't help herself, but watch the light dancing on Blake's face as the birds slowly roasted above the flames. Weiss caught herself smiling at the sight and had to quickly compose herself when Blake raised her head to look at her.

"You're tired," said Blake, "I'll take first watch."

Weiss' suspicions flared up again and she almost began to protest, but it was true that she was tired. She just nodded. Once the meal was done, she lay down on a pile f leaves under the large blanket. At least, there would be no blanket sharing tonight.


	4. IV - Separation

Over the last few days Blake had ample opportunity to observe her new companion. Weiss definitely was a pampered city girl. She knew her way around a blade, but she had no knowledge of the wilderness and she had almost zero endurance. It was impossible to not notice how easily Weiss got tired, especially once she stubbornly started to attempt to hide her exhaustion. Blake pretended not to notice out of courtesy, but she dropped her pace a bit regardless.

Weiss didn't talk much. She probably wanted to save as much energy as possible and Blake didn't see any reason to force her. They talked only little when they stopped to rest. After all, they were only traveling companions by pure chance and their common goal was only temporary.

Besides, Blake had other issues to worry about. There weren't many signs of the Grimm in the Faunus lands with their fortified small villages, but this close to Vale, Grimm footprints grew larger and appeared more frequently. Grimm were eating well this close to human lands.

So far, their luck had held up, but Blake knew that it couldn't last forever. If they found a human settlement, they could maybe find a caravan to shadow in hope it would provide a more tempting target. Or Blake could leave Weiss with the humans. She would be with her own. Blake didn't really want to just abandon Weiss. When she said she'd take Weiss to Vale, she meant Vale city proper, not any outlying villages.

She would have to make the decision soon, though, since the wind just carried a faint whiff of smoke to her. They were away from Faunus lands now, so it had to be humans. "I smell smoke," she said to Weiss, "There could be a village nearby."

Weiss just nodded. She seemed tired and her once white dress was now grey with dust and stained from the long journey. Blake's clothing wasn't in much better shape, but her mostly black outfit hid stains better. Vale was supposed to be, if not friendly then at least tolerant of Faunus. She could get her clothes washed and bathe in hot water for once.

Blake led Weiss towards the source of the smoke. It could be just a caravan camp, but the smell was getting stronger. Either it was a forest fire or a village. Finally, Blake spotted light filtering in between the trees in front of her and knew that they were close.

When they arrived at the edge of the treeline, Blake and Weiss found themselves on top of a hill overlooking a small human town. The smell of smoke rising from the houses was now mixed with other ordinary smells of human habitation. A ring of fields surrounded the town and small figures could be seen working hard on the harvest. A solid wall, half-stone, half-packed dirt encircled the town itself. Even from this distance, damage from Grimm attacks was clear: deep claw marks in stone, large splotches of dark Grimm blood and hastily fixed breaches.

During their slow descent towards the town, Blake was painfully aware that there were lookouts watching them. Every instinct learned from the White Fang was telling her to run away, but she continued walking. This had to be part of the Kingdom of Vale. She wouldn't be in danger here.

They reached the guarded gate. The man standing watch there – scarred battle veteran – let them pass without any questions. Blake couldn't say about herself, but Weiss looked tired enough that it was obvious she wasn't a threat.

The town itself was almost deserted. There were a few women carrying food heading in the opposite direction, but other than that everyone had to be busy with the harvest. Blake was a hunter, not a farmer, but the hot and stuffy air told her a storm was coming. If a hailstorm struck the fields at this moment…

The town was not very large. It was larger than a Fang village, providing a tempting target for the Grimm, but the lack of signs anywhere meant that outsiders like Blake and Weiss had difficult time finding their way around. The streets were barely wide enough for a cart filled with grain to pass and the buildings were usually tall enough that the alleyways were in constant shade. A few very small children watched them curiously from the windows, some of them trying to speak, though they were still too young for the words to hold any meaning for Blake.

The inn stood at the town square, a large building that actually had a sign on it. "Do you have any money?" asked Weiss as Blake headed to the entrance.

"I picked some up when I left the Fang," replied Blake, leaving out where the Fang got coins from Atlas and Vale.

It appeared that no one was staying at the inn right now. The only person inside was a small girl, young enough that she could be spared from the fields. "Do you have any rooms?" asked Blake.

"Just one," said the girl while staring a bit higher than Blake's face.

"We'll take it," said Blake, "And something hot to eat."

"Ummm, I am not allowed to start the fire," said the girl.

"Do you have something to drink then?" asked Blake.

"Do you drink beer?" asked the girl in response.

Blake looked at Weiss who didn't look like the sort of person who would drink. However, Weiss only shrugged.

"We'll take it and wait until your parents return," said Blake and pulled a small leather pouch out of its hiding place.

She wasn't familiar with human coins, so she emptied the pouch into her palm and turned to Weiss again. "Which of these are Vale lien?"

"These ones, I think," said Weiss and pointed at the smallest coins of the bunch.

"Figures," said Blake and placed two of the coins on the table in front of the little girl. "Is that enough?"

"Should be," said the girl. She pocketed the money, jump down from her stool and quickly ran into another room. She soon returned, holding a jug of beer and two simple wooden goblets.

"Here you are," she said, straining to lift the full jug higher towards Blake. The girl looked visibly relieved when Blake took it. Without her burden, she climbed back to her seat and started swinging her legs in the air to amuse herself.

Blake and Weiss settled down at a cornet table and Blake filled a goblet for both Weiss and herself. "We made it," she said, raising her goblet in toast.

"We did," agreed Weiss, but did not raise her own goblet.

Blake took a sip. The beer was weak, but Blake did not mind. She did not want to get drunk in an unfamiliar town. As she settled down and relaxed, finally free of the tension that usually accompanied trips through wilderness, Blake started to take in her surroundings. To her knowledge, this was her first time in a human settlement. The stone houses felt more solid than the quick constructions favored by the Faunus, but Blake knew they wouldn't offer enough protection against a determined Grimm attack. Despite the walls, the place seemed woefully vulnerable. There were no lines of sharp wooden spikes to slow down attackers and tear unprotected flesh, no hidden pits to trap overeager attackers, nothing except the wall. And with how many people had to live in this town, an attack was all but a certainty. No Grimm could leave all this tempting human meat alone for long.

"Miss, are your ear real?" Voice of the little girl tending to the inn intruded upon her thoughts. "Are you a Faunus?"

Blake looked at the girl who had wandered over from her station to their table and was looking at Blake with curiosity. It was probably her first time seeing a Faunus in real life. Blake nodded. "Yes, I am," she said.

"Can I touch them?" asked the girl.

The question was meant in complete innocence, but Blake still hesitated a little. However, there couldn't be any harm in letting the little girl do what she wanted. Blake was sturdy enough to withstand some tugging.

"Sure," she agreed and lifted the girl up to sit on her lap.

Almost immediately, the girl reached up and touched Blake's cat ears. The feeling of little fingers touching all around them was not… unpleasant, but it wasn't exactly the opposite either. She winced a little when the girl, evidently satisfied with having explored the general shape of the ear, started tugging at it and slightly twisting it.

Blake heard a slight chuckle from the other side of the table. Weiss was watching her with a smile. It struck Blake that this was the first time she had seen Weiss smile. There was not much to smile about in the wild forest. Another slight tug at her ear made Blake wince again which in turn made Weiss laugh again. By this point, Blake was conscious that she herself was smiling, though she didn't know if it was in response to the girl's innocent curiosity or to Weiss' smile.

"Are your parents going to come back soon?" asked Blake.

The girl's hand froze on Blake's ear. "They got eaten by a Grimm when I was little," she said, her voice surprisingly steady even though Blake could see a glimmer of tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," said Blake.

"It's okay," said the girl, "I was really little when it happened."

Blake thought about her own parents. They didn't part on amicable terms when Blake insisted on staying behind in the village that she grew up in. They must have felt betrayed, she realized later. At the time, the law had seemed sensible: the old and the weak were to leave the village. More people meant more interest from the Grimm, so those who could not pull their own weight were banished. If her parents were still alive it would be a miracle…

"Are you okay?" asked Weiss, interrupting her recollections. The girl was still sitting on her lap and looking at her. Weiss seemed concerned.

"Yeah," she replied, "I'm just a little tired."

"It'll be nice to get some proper rest," said Weiss turned to address the girl, "When's your family going to come back?"

The girl glanced towards the windows where the light outside was growing orange. "Soon, I think," she said, "No one's allowed out of town after sunset."

Blake lifted the girl up and set her down on the floor. "I need some fresh air," she said, "I'll go outside for a moment."

All the stone buildings were colored orange by the light of the setting sun. Blake didn't like to admit it, but this human town felt stifling. All those buildings stuffed into a tiny area were too much. She couldn't feel any wind in this enclosed space and the air felt heavy with dust.

The deathly stillness of the town was disturbed by loud, cheery voices. The people of the town started to arrive home in small groups, talking to each other. When they arrived at the town square, they usually stopped and eyed Blake suspiciously. None of them said anything and they eventually continued on their way. It was a better welcome than what Blake had expected. She decided against waiting for the inn's proprietors outside and went back in.

The girl had returned to her spot and Weiss was staring vacantly out of the window. She turned around when Blake approached the table. "Where are we heading next?" she asked, "To Vale?"

"That's the plan," said Blake, "You're stopping there?"

"I'm not now," said Weiss, "Someone might recognize me. I don't think I want to come back home. Or to get married, for the matter."

"We can continue traveling together," offered Blake before she realized what she was saying. She had to be starved for company or else she wouldn't invite anyone to join her. Weiss, however, didn't pry and kept to herself, which was exactly the kind of company Blake liked. To put it simply, she didn't feel like Weiss was overbearing.

Weiss didn't answer for a while, but then she smiled. "I think I'd like that," she said. Blake decided that she liked it when Weiss smiled.

"It's decided then," said Blake.

Just then the door creaked open and a number of people stepped in.

"Come here, Opal!" yelled a large bearded man.

The girl jumped down from her stool and scampered over to the man. "We have guests, Uncle!" she exclaimed.

The man nodded gravely and turned to Blake and Weiss, "I know." He continued, "What's your business here in town?"

"We're just want to rest before continuing to Vale," replied Blake.

"I wasn't asking you," said the man, "You can't stay here. I was asking the girl you kidnapped."

"What do you mean, kidnapped?" asked Weiss.

"Do you mean to say that someone like you is traveling with a savage out of her own will?" said the man, "We're not letting her get away with this."

At that moment, Blake noticed that the silhouettes of people behind the window were carrying spears. There was at least a dozen of them.

"That's nonsense," said Weiss, "Would I be allowed to keep my weapon if she had kidnapped me?" She half-drew her sword for emphasis.

The man looked at Weiss warily. "Even if that's true," he said, "We can't let the Faunus stay here. Their kind attracts the Grimm."

Weiss sheathed her sword. "I'm going with her then," she said.

The man shook his head. "I can't let you outside. There's a big Grimm prowling around. You could get hurt."

"What about her?" cried Weiss, "Isn't Blake going to get hurt?"

"Her kind lives in the forest," said the man, "Whatever sorcery they have will protect her, I'm sure." He smirked.

Weiss' sword was out in a flash. "I'm not letting you just kill her!" Her voice was shrill now.

The guards outside were still not moving, but Blake knew that if things continued at this rate, they would move inside and there were just too many of them. She walked next to Weiss and put an arm on her shoulder. "It's okay, Weiss," she said, "I can take care of myself. We can meet up in Vale."

Weiss turned to look at her. She had to know that Blake's words were a comforting lie. With how unskilled Weiss was in wilderness survival, she was likely to be stuck in this town until a caravan passed through or for the rest of her life, more likely. Blake wished that the situation was different, but it was clear that they were outnumbered. If they resisted, Blake would be dead and Weiss probably too.

"I understand," said Blake to the bearded man, "I'll leave at once if you open the gate for me."

The man hesitated. "The gates are to stay closed until the Hunter arrives," he said, "But if you get out quickly, we can bend that rule."

Blake nodded and picked up her pack. "Let's go then," she said.

She started heading to the door. When she reached it, she turned around to look at Weiss. In the dimness of the inn's common room, Weiss looked even paler than usual. She was staring at Blake, her mouth slightly open as if she was about to say something. Blake raised her hand and waved feebly to Weiss, but the only response she got was a wave from the little girl, Opal. The bearded man frowned when he saw that, but he did not say anything.

Blake left the inn and headed for the gate. The armed guardsmen wordlessly fell into march behind her. The narrow alleyways of the cramped town were already in deep shadow even though the sky was still bright. If there was one good thing about being banished from the town like this, it was that Blake would soon be in open space again. Most of the area near the gate was now filled with bales of harvested crops stuffed under sheds and there was barely enough space to open the gate and let Blake out.

The gate was already closing the second Blake stepped out. The fields around the town were now completely bare and the soil was dark under the dimming sky. Blake sighed. So much for resting in a bed tonight. There wasn't much time left to make camp if she wanted to get away from the town, but, and Blake loathed to admit it, without Weiss she could move considerably faster.

She set out away from the town. It sat in a valley between hills, so every path away from it led uphill with the exception of a footpath following a stream that was flowing in through a rock gully. Recalling Weiss' idea from days before, Blake decided to head for the coast and follow it to Vale. Alone, she stood a chance of evading the Grimm and she never got a chance to ask for directions towards Vale in the town anyway. Maybe, just maybe, Weiss would be able to catch up with her there. Vale was one of the Four Kingdoms and a large port. If she wanted to find information about her parents, it was as good a place as any other human city. She could stay there for a week, maybe a month to talk to sailors and traders passing through. Weiss could catch up.

She had traversed a fair distance now, but the moon was bright and she didn't feel tired. The more distance she put between herself and the town the better. If any bad luck visited them, she might get blamed and pursued. Now that it was past the hills encircling the town, the stream slowed down and the rocky gully gave way to the same forest as everywhere else. In a way, it was comforting. The forest was the same even this far away from home.

The red light of Grimm eyes was her first warning. For a second she wasn't sure if they were going to attack, but the roar of an Ursa gave her the answer. She broke into a run, determined to get away from the beast, but her path was blocked by another titanic shape. She stopped just in time to evade a massive paw the beast had swiped at her.

This gave the monster behind her enough time to catch up. She didn't see it, but it had to be very much like the one in front of her: a large Ursa, larger than any Blake had ever seen or heard about. The Grimm near human settlements were supposed to be larger, fattened and grown strong on human flesh, but this was beyond any expectations.

Her only chance now was to break past the beast in front of her before the one behind her fully caught up. Blake's blades were out in a split second and she jumped up with all her might, slashing at the Ursa's exposed throat. She felt the blade sink into Grimm flesh and a spurt of blood hit her in the face. The monster roared in anger and pain and swung a clawed paw at Blake.

The moment Blake landed on the ground Blake ducked and rolled under the Ursa's paw. She was now under its belly and she took the opportunity. More blood spurted from the fresh wounds and Blake ran out from under the Ursa which was thrashing around in blind rage. Unfortunately, she got confused during the roll and emerged right in front of the second Ursa.

She had enough presence of mind to raise her blades to block the blow she knew was incoming. The Ursa didn't care that it would slice its flesh on the sharp blades and took a swing at Blake anyway. She lost her grip a moment before the paw hit her body. She felt claws raking her stomach, sending pain through her entire body before the force of the blow propelled her sideways. The last thing Blake felt before lapsing into unconsciousness was her arm getting crushed between a tree trunk and her own body.

Blake was surprised when she started coming back to her senses. She didn't expect to be alive at all. A further surprise was that all her body parts still seemed properly attached to her body although some of them radiated excruciating pain. She opened her yes. Her eyelids felt heavy. There was a figure in front of her, a human figure. Blake couldn't make out any details except for the whiteness of that person's hair. "Weiss?" she mumbled and the figure turned to face her in response.

Even the smallest movement took enormous effort, but Blake blinked a few times to clear her eyes. The person in front of her wasn't Weiss, though there was some resemblance. The woman was older than Weiss and her expression was more severe. Blake had seen Weiss glare before: during their first meeting and at the town, but this woman's eyes felt like they were boring holes into Blake's body. "You woke up," the woman said, "Good."

Blake nodded. It was less painful than expected. She saw that her stomach was bandaged, though blood the fabric was already soaked in blood. Her head felt woozy. She tried taking stock of her faculties. Sight, yes. Hearing, there. Smell… unfortunately yes. Taste of blood, probably her own. She tried moving her limbs. Both legs were fine, though she didn't think that attempting to get up would be a good idea. Her right arm was free and mobile, but the left one was just hanging limply by her body. A slight glance revealed a complete mess with the shattered bone protruding out of the torn skin in multiple places.

"I think your arm can be fixed," said the woman, "But it'll be very painful."

It was already painful now, even though the pain had subsided into dull, insistent throbbing that kept interrupting the flow of Blake's thoughts. "Can you try? Please?" she asked.

The woman nodded. She knelt beside Blake and touched the wounded arm carefully. "The bone is broken into pieces," she stated the obvious, "I won't just have to set it into place; I'll have to piece it back together. The joints seem unharmed at least."

Blake gulped when the woman pulled out a knife. "I might have to cut the flesh open to have access to the bone," the woman explained then turned around, "Ruby is the fire ready?"

"Ready!" came a voice from behind Blake.

"Heat up the knife, will you?" said the woman, handing the knife over to a girl dressed in red and black.

"Now," she said turning back to Blake, "It'll hurt a lot and won't look pretty, but you should still be able to use your arm afterwards. It'd be best if you tried to think about something else while I'm working. You could start with how a Faunus like you knows my sister."

Sister? Weiss didn't mention any family members except for her father, but then again, they didn't really share any personal details on their journey. Blake liked having Weiss as a traveling companion and now her sister had saved her life. It seemed as if only good things came to Blake from Weiss and her family.

"Here," said the young girl handing over the knife whose blade was now red hot.

"Keep it heated until I ask for it," said the woman while waving the girl away, "Let's see what I can do without it first."

Blake wasn't afraid of pain, but she was afraid of feeling trapped and helpless and this was just the situation. She grimaced when the woman's cold fingers touched her, even though it was far away from the wound. She tried closing her eyes, but the feeling of not knowing when the pain would come was too much.

"How do you know Weiss?" said the woman.

"I met her after her ship was wrecked," said Blake, "We decided to travel to Vale toge- aaugh!" The woman had set one of the bone pieces into its correct place.

Blake gritted her teeth. The pain was… bearable. Screaming helped, but she did not want to show weakness in front of this woman who claimed to be Weiss' sister. She chanced a look at her arm. It was still looking bad.

"And where is she now?" asked the woman as if Blake had answered her previous question without crying out in pain.

"In a town nearby," said Blake, "They chased me out and won't let her leave until a Hunter takes care of their Grimm problem." She was expecting another burst of pain, but the woman was examining her wound.

"I'll have to cut the arm open to put the bone in its proper place so it can heal," she said, "It'll hurt a lot."

The young girl handed her the heated blade as if anticipating the order. "Here, bite into this," said the girl to Blake, handing her a folded white handkerchief.

Blake did as she was told. The heat radiating from the knife gave her some warning, but the girl still had to hold her down as she involuntarily trashed around when the blade cut into her skin. The movement aggravated her other wound, but Blake didn't care at the moment. Thankfully, the woman's movements were practiced and swift as she opened her way to the bone and set the pieces back together. The stitching was almost painless in comparison even though the woman had used a rough thread.

"There, all done," said the woman after she fixed Blake's arm in place with rough wooden splints, "The stomach wound looks serious, but it's shallow. Even the scar will be barely visible. You also bumped your head, but since you're awake, I don't think there's anything to worry about.

"Thank you," said Blake.

"I'm a Hunter. This is part of my job," said the woman, "But you can repay me by showing me the way to the town where Weiss is. Can you walk?"

Blake thought about it. "I can try," she said. The woman took Blake's right hand and pulled her up. She could stand at least. It was a beginning. The woman did not let go of Blake's hand and instead shook it. "I'm Winter," she said.

"Blake."

"And I'm Ruby," said the young girl in an impossibly cheerful voice, "Hunter apprentice!"


	5. V - Captivity

Weiss couldn't believe these people. First they had chased Blake away when they knew that there were Grimm lurking around and next they detained Weiss not just in their town, but in an inn room. It was supposedly for 'her own safety', but what harm could she come to in a town where it seemed that everyone knew each other.

She didn't want to lie down on her bed. Her only dress was still dirty from the road and she didn't dare to try undressing here: the door was locked, but from the outside. The town had promised so much at first: a bath, clean clothes and a meal. Now she was dirty, hungry and alone.

There was a knock and then the little girl, Opal, entered the room carrying a tray with some bread and small apples on it. The girl couldn't reach the top of the small table in the room, so she put the tray on top of a stool. "Uncle told me to bring you some food," she said.

Weiss wanted to yell, but it wouldn't be any help and the little girl was innocent of what the adults in the town were doing. "Thank you," she forced herself to say.

"I'm sorry," said Opal and ran away from the room.

The food didn't look very appetizing to Weiss, so she just put it onto the table and sat down on the stool. Moonlight was the only source of light in the town. As in Atlas, open fires were prohibited on clear nights to avoid attracting Grimm. The air was hot and heavy, but the sky was so clear it was obvious any rain was still some time away.

Looking out of the window, Weiss was reminded of an old story she had heard years ago as a child. She threw a look at the inn bed. The blanket and sheets on it could be just enough to serve as a rope and allow her to climb down. They would definitely be sturdy enough to hold her eight. It would be easy to get out of the inn, but then what? The alleyways were so dark she could stay out of sight all night, but she had no idea strongly were the city walls guarded and even then, she had no idea where Vale was, if Vale was still Blake's destination. Blake was her lifeline out in the wilderness. She tried to observe her when she was building a fire or hunting and foraging for food, but Weiss was less than sure she could do the same.

Weiss paced restlessly all around the small room. For now, she had to wait, but wait for what? Blake wouldn't be able to come back and who knew how long until that Hunter arrived. She had to get out. She still had her rapier; none of the town guards had dared to try and take it away from her. If she could steal enough food, she'd be able to get to Vale if she knew the direction.

All of this led nowhere. Weiss let out a frustrated sigh and sat down to the table to eat the meager dinner she was given. Whatever the case, she had to keep her strength up. She still didn't have much of an appetite, but concentrating on forcing herself to eat had the benefit of calming her thoughts down for the moment. When she was done with the food, she immediately felt like punching something again. How dare those idiot yokels keep her here? For her own safety? Nonsense! At least if they kept her for ransom, it would feel somewhat dignified.

She vented her anger on the hard pillow filled with straw, but apart from the sound of some of the stuffing breaking it gave Weiss no satisfaction. There was no way she could fall asleep when she was this agitated. Her mind kept reporting the events of the day and Weiss was still angry about them. She recalled Opal's sudden flight from the room. Could it be? Weiss tried the door. It was unlocked. Her mind raced with possibilities, but only for a second until Weiss remembered that the issue wasn't getting out of the room. It was getting out of the town and what came after it.

Nevertheless, Weiss stepped out of her room. If her door was left unlocked, she could claim that she wasn't trying to run away. The room was small to feel suffocating. Even if she could not escape the town, leaving the town was worth it. Didn't the little girl say that the inn only had one room? Weiss turned red at the thought of having to share that tiny room with Blake. They were close on the road, but they could always have their own space. Not to mention that there was only one bed. Weiss wasn't sure that she'd be able to hide her interest in Blake if they had to stay in that room. A disaster like being detained in this town had its own small blessings it seemed.

Once out of the room, Weiss instinctively tried moving as quickly as possible. With how dark it was, the proprietor and his family were probably asleep and Weiss didn't want to wake them up. Despite the stone exterior, the inside of the inn was built entirely out of wood and Weiss cringed at every creak of the floorboards and stairs.

The common room of the inn was quiet and illuminated by moonlight. Weiss hoped that the front door would be unlocked. It seemed probable. There was very little to steal in this town and the isolation and small population meant that any would-be burglar would be either caught immediately or unable to dispose of their loot. Her hopes proved correct and Weiss stepped outside onto the town square. She had no goal now. Trying to run would be futile and it was clear that there were no places of interest in this town. However, Weiss was just enjoying having relatively open space around her. Compared to the cramped room, the town square felt enormous.

Weiss' body and mind were still wide awake. She drew her rapier and assumed the proper stance. There were no training dummies here, but she was too tired to practice on the road and besides, the real reason for practicing was to tire herself out and maybe vent some anger.

Her father had insisted that Weiss learn how to handle a blade for 'self-defense' even though she was almost always surrounded by guards. Fencing was excellent for venting out her frustrations and letting Weiss do that to keep her docile was probably her father's real goal. Devastating a helpless, unfeeling training dummy was always very satisfying.

Weiss didn't feel that way about it at the moment, but she was proud at having killed that Grimm on the beach. It was nearly helpless on dry land, but it was one of the monsters that kept most of humanity cooped up in walled settlements like this. Weiss imagined various Grimm as she slashed and stabbed at shadows. She dispatched Beowolves by the dozen, a Nevermore fell down from the sky as she sliced its wing off, and the entire town shook at the roar an Ursa let out when Weiss' blade pierced its heart. Weiss stopped, covered in imaginary Grimm blood and smiled. That Grimm on the beach was only the beginning. She would not waste this chance. She was going to see the world for herself and she was not going to let a bunch of backwards townspeople stop her.

The town square was almost entirely dark now. Weiss looked up, expecting to see that the moon was now hidden behind one of the tall buildings, but she instead saw that the sky was heavily overcast. When the first raindrop fell on her face, Weiss didn't even register it through the sweat from her practice. The first raindrop was quickly joined by many others and before long, the rain was joined by thunder and lightning. Weiss stood unmoving in the downpour with her rapier still unsheathed. The cold water felt amazing on her skin and she didn't mind her dress was getting drenched again. She wanted a proper bath, but this would have to do.

Weiss sheathed her sword and lay down on the ground. The dusty ground was turning into mud, but she didn't care. She was virtually a prisoner and her dress was already ruined. She closed her eyes, imagining that she was floating on a river that would carry her far away from this place.

Before long the fury of the storm had exhausted itself and was replaced by cool, gentle rain. Weiss, still lying on the ground in a bed of soft mud felt herself smile. She could fall asleep here. Her consciousness started fading. Her body was tired and her mind relaxed. _'I'm going to catch a cold if I keep lying here'_ was Weiss' last thought before she drifted into sleep.

She was woken up by a scream. Weiss opened her eyes and saw one of the townswomen standing above her. "I'm alive," Weiss said to her. It felt appropriate.

The ground around her was still wet and muddy and so was her dress. When she got up, the dress felt many times heavier than usual. It was caked so thick with mud no one would be able to tell that it used to be white. Once up, Weiss felt a bit woozy and she wasn't sure whether it was from developing a cold or from being woken up early. It didn't matter anyway. She wouldn't be able to leave this town anyway.

The woman's scream caused the inhabitants of nearby houses to look out of their windows. It was just idle curiosity, but some small children ran outside and began to roll around in the mud, though it was impossible to tell if they were imitating Weiss or if it was some sort of game of their own. The inn door opened and the bearded proprietor ran out. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"My room was too hot," said Weiss calmly.

"How did you get out?" he asked.

Weiss shrugged. "The door was unlocked," she said, "Am I a prisoner or something?"

"No one's allowed out of doors at night when there's Grimm around," said the innkeeper, "That includes… guests."

"I wasn't told about the rules before you put me into a room against my will," said Weiss, "Now, is there any place I can get clean clothes here? I feel like I've been wearing this dress for weeks."

The innkeeper looked at Weiss' dress which was dripping with mud. Last night didn't help matters, but the dress was filthy even before Weiss set foot in this town. He sighed, "I'll see if my wife can find something for you."

Weiss smiled sweetly. "Thank you," she said.

The innkeeper's wife was a rather corpulent woman, but she insisted that she still had some dressed from her youth that would fit Weiss. The sun was close to setting when the search for said dresses finished, but it ended with Weiss wearing an old dark blue dress that mostly fit her. She probably wouldn't wear it to a ball, but Weiss was almost certain that her ball attending days were over for good. It was also less formal with the skirt a lot shorter than on Weiss' other dress. That was a good thing. Weiss reflected as she inspected the hem of her old dress that was all torn up from thorns and brambles. All in all, Weiss couldn't complain about _that_ part of her forced stay in this town. New Vale, it was called she learned. Rural people had very little imagination.

When Weiss left her old dress with the innkeeper's wife for washing, she stepped outside to get some comparatively fresher air. Some sort of commotion seemed to be happening by the gate, so Weiss decided to check it out. She wouldn't be allowed to leave, but the innkeeper seemed to have conceded that she wasn't a prisoner and let her roam around the town undisturbed. A small crowd of locals was gathered by the gate, but they let Weiss pass through. At the center of the crowd stood three figures, two of which were both a familiar and surprising sight for Weiss.

One of them was Blake, pale and tired looking. Her stomach was bandaged and her left arm was immobilized by a makeshift sling and splints. Weiss felt herself smile at the sight in spite of Blake's injuries. She wanted to run and give Blake a hug. There was no decorum to stop her, but the person accompanying Blake made Weiss stop. Weiss hadn't seen Winter for several years, not since she announced her intention to become a Huntress and left Atlas, but she still looked very much the same. Weiss had always admired Winter, but it was admiration tinged with fear. Winter, Weiss realized, didn't look like other Hunters. They were usually a grizzled lot, covered with various scars, but Winter's skin was as unmarked as it was the day she left Atlas.

"There you are, Weiss," said Winter upon noticing her, "I was told I could find you here."

"What are you doing here, Winter?" said Weiss.

"Isn't it obvious? I was called in to deal with this town's Grimm problem," said Winter, "Which I did on the way here. Two Ursa, maybe a mated pair."

The third person in the small group stepped out from behind Winter and rushed over to Weiss, grasping her right hand with both of her own and shaking it vigorously. "You're Winter's sister?" she exclaimed, "I am Ruby, her apprentice. Nice to meet you!"

Ruby moved at such speed and with such energy that Weiss needed some time to process all the new information. Ruby seemed younger than Weiss, but not as young as she had seemed to behave. Most importantly, she was _loud_. Weiss wondered how could Winter stay her.

"Uh, nice to meet you too," said Weiss.

Once Ruby released her, Weiss walked over to Blake with a wide smile on her face. "I'm glad to see you again, Blake," she said, "What happened to you?"

"Ursa," said Blake simply.

"I'm glad you had your reunion," said Winter, "But can you explain to me what you're doing in wilderness near Vale's border? Blake said she found you near a shipwreck."

Weiss turned towards Winter. "Father sent me to get married at Vale. The ship got attacked by Grimm."

"I have to get you to Vale then," said Winter, "We'll rest here tonight and set out tomorrow."

"I am not marrying that man," said Weiss, "I don't even know his name." She was told of course, but she did not bother to remember it. It wasn't important anyway.

"What else are you going to do?" asked Winter in her coldest voice possible, "Wander the wilderness all alone?"

"Not all alone, I'll be with Blake," said Weiss and took hold of Blake's right hand. "Everyone in Atlas and Vale thinks I'm dead by now anyway."

"Blake's injured," said Winter, "She can't take care of you."

Weiss put her free hand on the hilt of her rapier. "I had training," she said, "I can take care of myself."

Winter smirked. "Show me then," she said, "If you beat me in a fight, I'll let you do as you please."

Weiss gulped. This was just as if Winter had refused. Winter had always been stronger than Weiss and now she was a full-fledged Huntress on top of that. There was no way Weiss could win. She was about to submit to Winter's decision, but then she felt her hand being lightly squeezed. She turned to look at Blake who was smiling at her.

"You won't know unless you try," said Blake.

Right. Blake was right, of course. She just didn't know how strong Winter was. It was humiliating enough to be completely beaten by her in the palace's fencing hall where it was just the two of them. It would be inconceivably more humiliating to be beaten by her in front of this entire town and, more importantly, in front of Blake.

A drop of rain fell on her face. It seemed like last night's storm didn't exhaust the rain in store for this area. The chilly water reminded Weiss of last night. It was so easy to slice up all those imaginary Grimm. She would never know if it was really so easy if she let Winter stop her now.

Weiss always found it difficult to look Winter directly in the eyes when Winter was serious like now, but she did it. She faked her best confident smile. "I'll do it," she said, "I have my chance to live a life I want and I'm not letting it go."


	6. VI - Spectator

Blake was given the inn room for that evening. She was grateful for that, since her injuries still felt aggravated by the long walk back to town. What had took her only a few hours the day before was now and entire's day journey on account of her weakness. Still, she was alive and she had Winter to thank for that.

She wondered where Weiss was. Probably still talking to Winter or preparing for the duel tomorrow. It was a reckless idea, but Weiss seemed to have made up her mind. As a city girl, she probably didn't have much with Grimm or she would understand what it meant that Winter had taken down two Ursa without a scratch on her. Weiss stood no chance in Blake's opinion, but Blake hoped that she'd manage to win by some miracle.

She tried shifting her position on the bed, but she couldn't find a comfortable one where her wounds wouldn't hurt too much. Ruby had changed her bandages in the evening and it seemed her wounds were barely bleeding anymore, so she was on the road to recovery. It would také a long time, but if she had enough rest, she would heal eventually. It always seemed like Blake had always healed minor scrapes and bruises miraculously fast in the past.

Moonlight entered the room through the open window. Blake got out of the bed. The journey back to town was long, but it wasn't all that tiring because of the slow pace. She had to find something to tire herself out if she wanted to fall asleep. Looking out of the window, Blake saw Weiss outside with her sword out. She was still practicing, though how much help cutting up the air would be, Blake couldn't tell. The moon made it easy to obvserve Weiss whose hair shone with silvery light under it. Occassionally, clouds obscured the moon, but Weiss still stood out.

Blake turned around and left the room. The descend to the ground floor was painful. Each step on the stairs sent a jolt of pain through her body, but Blake gritted her teeth and endured it. The pain was bearable, but Blake hated feeling helpless and vulnerable. The air outside still smelled of rain from the storm and the following intermittent showers, but it was still and the only sounds was the squelching of Weiss' white leather shoes in the mud.

Should she try talking to her? Blake felt flattered when Weiss said that she had wanted to keep travelling with her, but they still didn't know each other very well. Weiss wasn't just the spoiled rich girl she had appeared to be on their first meeting, but Blake wasn't sure who else she was.

Weiss thrust her blade into an invisible opponent then lowered it. She stood motionless and Blake took this break as a sign that she should say something. „Weiss," she said.

Weiss turned around to her. „I didn't know you were still awake," she said, „Is something keeping you up?"

Blake shook her head. „Nothing. I'm just not that tired." She paused. „Listen, Weiss. I appreciate that you want to travel with me. Good luck with the duel," she said.

Weiss smiled. „Thank you," she said, „It means a lot coming from you, it really does. I have to win this, I can't just go get married or return back home."

It was probably just a trick of moonlight, but the smile made Weiss look beautiful, absolutely stunning. So much so that it took Blake a while to register what Weiss said. „Are you sure you can win?" she asked, „Winter too down two Ursas, she's not someone ordinary."

"I know," said Weiss, „Winter was always stronger than me, but I have no choice. Unless she changed her habits, I might have a chance."

"I could help you," said a voice behind Blake. Ruby, Winter's apprentice, was standing there, her dark clothes making her almost blend in with the night's gloom. „I know some tricks that could help you."

"Is this some sort of trap?" asked Weiss, „You work for Winter, how could I trust you?"

"I'm her apprentice," said Ruby, „I don't work for her, I learn from her. Besides, I won't help you for free."

"Figures," said Weiss, „So what do you want?"

"I'm looking for my sister," said Ruby, „She ran away from home and fell in with some bad people in Vale the last time I heard. I want you to keep an eye out for her."

"That's it?" asked Weiss „Nothing else?"

"Nothing else," said Ruby and pulled out her weapon. It seemed to be just a large stick at first, but Ruby unfolded it into a scythe. Blake couldn't believe her eyes. Scythe was a farming tool, wasn't it? And the joints needed to make it fold like that would make it fragile. Unless it was made entirely out of metal, it should fall apart the first time Ruby struck something with any real force.

Ruby assumed a fighting stance. „I'm ready when you are," she said, „Blake would you mind being a referee?"

"Uh, I guess," said Blake, „What are the rules?"

Ruby grinned. „None," she said, „Just make sure we don't hurt each other."

"Right," said Blake, „Are you sure this is a good idea?" she asked Weiss.

"If Ruby maims me, it just means that Winter won't get a chance to do the same later," said Weiss. It did not seem as if she was joking.

"Go ahead then," said Blake.

Both Ruby and Weiss took her words as a sign to begin their bout. It was immediately obvious that Ruby was a very skilled fighter. She used the longer reach of her weapon well, mostly preventing Weiss from ever getting close enough. Weiss herself was having difficulties, but held her own, much to Blake's surprise. For several minutes, Weiss couldn't manage to do much more than just defend herself, but eventually she started to try attacking whenever it seemed like Ruby was overextending herself.

It was during such a counterattack that Weiss slipped on the muddy ground. Ruby was quick to take advantage of Weiss' weak moment and swung her scythe in a wide arc, confident that Weiss was too busy trying to keep her balance. Weiss managed to block the blow with her sword, but it was clear that Ruby had the advantage now. Weiss was forced to retreat now, slowly backing down with each one of Ruby's attacks. Finally, when Weiss' back was to the wall and she had nowhere to retreat, Blake intervened.

"That's enough," she called out. Both Weiss and Ruby stopped.

"Aww, I was so close," said Ruby who was visibly disappointed.

"I-I would've beaten you there," said Wess. She was breathing heavily. The fight only took a few minutes, but she already looked exhausted.

"Come on," said Blake to Weiss, "You need to rest."

"I need to prepare," said Weiss, "You don't know Winter. I have to be as ready as possible if I want to stand a chance of beating her."

"You won't beat her if you collapse from exhaustion," said Blake and took Weiss' hand. "Now go to bed."

Weiss obeyed meekly, too weak to argue further, and sheathed her blade. Blake led her to the inn and up the stairs, conscious of Weiss' hand in her own all the time."You take the bed," she said, "You need to rest properly for tomorrow," she said.

"But you're injured," protested Weiss, her words cut short by a yawn.

"I just need to stay still," said Blake, "You need to get under a blanket and get warm. I'll ask them to bring you something warm to drink.

Weiss only nodded, but did not make any attempt to get into the bed. Blake stared at her. After a few more moments of silence, Weiss spoke up, "I can't undress in front of you."

"Sorry," Blake said immediately and turned to leave. This was strange. Some casual nudity wasn't an issue back home, but huiman customs were probably different. Still, Weiss didn't seem to have this problem while on the road, so something had to have changed to bring this about. Maybe it was the presence of other humans or her sister or even… Blake chuckled. The idea was ridiculous. From Weiss' point of view, Blake was just a common Faunus, a convenient travelling companion who had maybe turned into a friend, nothing more. Maybe Blake just wanted that to be the explanation for Weiss' sudden shyness. Blake pondered the idea some more to pass the time while the innkeeper was heating up some milk. She was not… opposed to the idea, but she had her own shadows to chase. Weiss was good-looking and a surprisingly good companion for a noble city girl, but all this was just an idle fancy, maybe some sort of vanity Blake didn't notice in herself before.

She slightly prodded her bandaged stomach. It hurt, of course, but Winter had assured Blake that she was on the way to full recovery. It would leave a scar, but scars were supposed to make warriors more attractive. What would Weiss think about that? Though Blake was fairly sure that stomach scars would come into play only after attraction has been established.

When the hot milk was ready, Blake took it to Weiss. All these stairs between the common room and Weiss' room probably weren't helping her recovery, but Blake hated the idea of just sitting around and waiting. She needed to be doing something to occupy her time. With one of her hands immobile by the splints and the other holding the cup, Blake had to use her elbow to knock on Weiss' door, "It's me, can you open? My hands are full."

Weiss let Blake inside. She had changed into a simple nightgown woven from thick cloth, probably borrowed from the innkeeper's wife. It was plain, but that very plainness made Weiss' good looks stand out even more. Blake pushed that thought aside. She really needed something to occupy herself with if she wanted to stop herself from ideas like this.

"Here," she said, "It's just hot milk, but it should warm you up."

"Thanks," said Weiss as she took the cup and sipped the warm liquid carefully. "You should take the bed. I'll be fine, really."

Blake shook her head. "No and that's final," she said, "I won't have you losing tomorrow just because you didn't sleep properly or had a cold. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

"But..." started Weiss, but Blake interrupted her.

"No buts."

"Do you really want me to tag along with you that much?" asked Weiss, taking Blake by surprise.

"I like having company," said Blake simply. It was the truth, after all.

Weiss studied her face for a bit and Blake did her best to meet her gaze. If she let anything slip now, Weiss could get a completely wrong idea. It was just that Weiss was wearing a nightgown now. That was the reason for this momentary confusion and Weiss didn't have to know about that.

Weiss finally nodded. "I'll make sure to rest properly. But you have to promise you'll be careful with your wound when sleeping."

"I promise," said Blake. She didn't like making promises this easily, but this was a promise she could keep easily. "Good night then?"

"Good night, " said Weiss.

Blake woke up early the next morning. The sun was barely up over the horizon and the shadows in the tiny town were still deep. The cuts on her stomach still ached, but she felt better than before. She sat up on the bench in the common room where she had spent the night. It was strange, but she didn't even register the hard surface as something unpleasant.

Was Weiss already awake? Probably not; she seemed really tired last night. Just as well since with one arm disabled, Blake would need extra time to ready herself for the day ahead.

A knock on the inn door interrupted her halfway through the complicated process of dressing herself without aggravating her broken arm. Whoever was outside didn't wait for an answer and entered.

"Oops, sorry Blake. I didn't know you were changing," said Ruby's voice.

"We'll wait outside," said Winter's voice and Blake heard the door close again.

Blake waited a moment to see if there would be any further intrusion. There wasn't and she finished changing as quickly as she could, letting out several hisses of pain as her clothes jostled her injury. Once done, she opened the door outside and called out, "I'm done."

Ruby stopped pacing restlessly and headed to the door, leaving Winter behind. Winter herself did not head to the inn. Instead, she was studying the town square intensely.

"This will do nicely," she said while turning towards Blake, "Unless you think the duel should take place outside the city."

"It's not my decision," replied Blake, "But I think the locals would want to watch."

Winter smiled almost imperceptibly. "Who are we to deprive rural folk of their entertainment?" she said.

"Why do you want Weiss to fight you," Blake asked Winter all of a sudden. It must have been the silence. She wouldn't pry into family matters otherwise.

Winter turned to look at Blake. "Weiss is young," she said, "She doesn't know how dangerous the world really is. Not just Grimm, there's other dangers too. But you know about that, don't you, Miss Faunus?"

Of course Blake knew. The White Fang was not above taking human slaves or using them as Grimm bait when needed. Blake also suspected that Weiss knew as well. "Weiss is not stupid," she said, "She has eyes and ears."

"She doesn't use them enough to know that a lone traveller who is not a Huntsman is very unusual," said Winter, "Especially a Faunus."

"I'm not going to hurt Weiss," replied Blake.

"I'm sure you're not planning on it," said Winter, "But I have to be sure that if the situation changes, Weiss can defend herself."

The inn door creaked and Weiss stepped outside. She smiled at Blake, but her expression immediately turned serious again.

"Good morning, Blake, Winter," she said, "Are you ready to begin?"

"Maybe we should wait until the townspeople wake up," said Winter, "They might want to watch."

"I'd rather be done as quickly as possible," said Weiss. Her face did not betray any emotion, but her voice sounded strained. _She's afraid_ , Blake realized.

"As you wish," said Winter. If Blake noticed Weiss' fear, then Winter had to notice it as well.

Without another word, Winter drew her sword and assumed a fighting stance. She let Weiss cross the town square and draw her own sword before rushing in to attack.

Weiss barely had time to react and a loud sound of clashing metal resounded around the town square. Winter's furious assault continued, forcing Weiss to defeat the blows with her own sword, filling the area with noise. The townspeople started peeking out from behind doors to see what the commotion was all about.

It seemed that Weiss had weathered Winter's initial onslaught. The two fighters now had more space between them and Weiss switched to attempting a counterattack. Winter was just too fast for her, though. Wherever Weiss tried to attack, Winter was no longer there.

After several more fruitless exchanges of strokes, Weiss and Winter separated, warily watching each other. Weiss was breathing heavily, but her posture was straight and her blade was steady. Winter seemed completely unaffected and watched Weiss with cold eyes.

Every second of this pause felt like eternity to Blake. Was Winter just toying with Weiss? Weiss was clearly tired and every second Winter gave her let her strength a bit more. Weiss had to have been aware of it too.

It was Weiss who ended the interlude. She lunged forward at Winter, the tip of her blade aiming straight at Winter's neck. To Blake, Winter seemed to have moved at the very last moment, her blade slashing at exposed Weiss. It did not hit, but Weiss ended up lying in the still fresh mud, Winter looming over her.

Winter started to open her mouth to speak, but Weiss spoke first. "I'm not done yet," she said.

She rolled over, desperately slashing at Winter's legs. She did not hit, but it gave her the break she needed to stand up. Her white dress and face were caked with mud and though Blake couldn't be sure from distance, it looked as if her sword had been notched in the fight.

Weiss did not have a long respite. Winter started to press her attack again. Just like at start of the duel, Weiss was forced to deflect the blows with her sword. This time, however, Weiss was trying to get closer to Winter rather than trying to get away.

Weiss ducked under Winter's blade. Blake couldn't clearly see what happened next, but Winter stumbled and the sisters separated. There was a muddy stain on Winter's stomach and a bloody scratch on her face.

Winter smiled. "Congratulations, Weiss," she said.

Weiss just fell to the ground.

Blake was so focused on the fight that she almost jumped when she heard Ruby's voice. "I can't believe it!" exclaimed the younger girl. Then, more quietly, she added, "Winter let her win."


	7. VII - Onwards

Her entire body ached and her head hurt from the last desperate headbutt she had tried against Winter. Did her sister hide some metal plates under her clothing or was Weiss' skull just so fragile? She didn't know which one of the options would be better. The pounding in her head was so intense that she almost overheard Weiss congratulating her. Was it possible to dream when knocked unconscious? Then she blinked and realized that there was a tiny splotch of blood on her rapier's blade. It could have been her own. It should have been her own.

Nevertheless, when she looked up, Weiss saw a hair-thin scratch on Winter's face. That wasn't something she had caused on purpose. Her muscles ached from overuse as she slowly pulled herself up to stand in front of her sister.

"Congratulations, Weiss," repeated Winter.

 _That's not fair_ , Weiss wanted to scream at her. This wasn't beating Winter: this was just an accident. How dare Winter mock her like that?

She looked around the small town square. Everyone had to see what had just happened. Why wasn't anyone protesting? Couldn't Ruby or Blake say something? Both of them were just standing there looking at the sisters in the middle of the open space. When Weiss caught Blake's eye, the Faunus returned the look and smiled slightly in away Weiss didn't know how to interpret at that distance.

She looked at Winter who was offering her a hand to help her get up. "This was just an accident," said Weiss, "I want a rematch."

Winter looked down at her, her gaze colder than even father's. "Are you a child?" she questioned Weiss, "If not, then stop acting like one."

Weiss ignored Winter's still extended hand and got up from the mud on her own. She met Winter's cold gaze with her own. "I thought you wanted to make sure I was capable of protecting myself," she retorted, her voice getting angry.

"I made sure," replied Winter who was still completely calm, "You might have been lucky, but you held your own well enough."

With Winter not rising to the challenge, Weiss' anger quickly abated, She wasn't satisfied with her own performance, but if Winter was satisfied, it might had been enough. "Fine," she said shortly.

She turned around to walk towards Blake and Ruby. Even though her whole body ached from fatigue, she was not going to show any weakness in front of Winter and the townspeople. "I guess we can set out now," she said to Blake.

Blake looked at her wordlessly for several second, her golden eyes studying Weiss' face intently. Then she nodded. "Let's go," she agreed.

"I got some supplies for you guys," said Ruby, offering Weiss a small pack, "But you've got to look out for my big sister Yang. She ran off to Vale a few years back. You can't really miss her, she's got lilac eyes and blonde hair like you've never seen before."

Weiss accepted the pack from the younger girl. "I'll try, but I can't promise anything," she said, "Vale is a big place."

"I know, don't worry," said Ruby cheerfully, "Winter's got to check on a few more towns around and then we'll head to Vale ourselves. If you find her, leave a message or something."

The girl was overly optimistic if she expected them to not just find her sister, but to also manage to leave a message with someone who knew Winter when they themselves did not know anyone at all in the city. Still, it did not cost them anything to keep an eye out.

The pack felt very heavy, but Weiss slung it over her shoulder, gave Blake a quick look and started walking across the town square passing by Winter along the way. "I'll try to stay in Vale until you get there," she said in place of a goodbye, "I don't know how it'll work out with no money, though."

Winter smiled almost imperceptibly and nodded while Weiss continued on her way. Every step reminded her just how much she had exerted herself in her fight with Winter, but she was absolutely determined not to show any weakness. As the sounds of the town square died behind her, Weiss could hear Blake's footsteps next to her. They should probably talk about the future plans and what to do once they arrived in Vale, but right now, it took all of Weiss' strength to keep walking without keeling over.

Each second felt like eternity until the town finally disappeared from sight behind a bend in the narrow path leading to Vale. Once it did, Weiss immediately half-collapsed, half-sat down on the side of the path. The moment she stopped moving, the pain in her limbs she was pushing away until then returned. Weiss groaned.

"We can set up camp here," said Blake and set her own pack down.

"Please," replied Weiss, too tired to say anything else.

She was rapidly falling asleep on the patch of grass where she had settled down. It was just a few hours and the sun was still high in the sky, but Weiss didn't care. She needed rest. Her last impression was Blake deftly removing her pack and placing a blanket over her.

Her sleep was the deep, dreamless sleep of exhaustion and when she woke up, there were stars and the moon in the sky. She was warm and she heard the soothing crackling of a campfire nearby. When she sat up, she saw Blake, still awake, sitting on a smooth rock by the fire. Weiss no longer felt tired, but every movement of her muscles hurt.

"Feeling better?" asked Blake, "I left you some rabbit if you want to eat."

Blake pointed at few pieces of fire-roasted meat lying on some large leaves next to her. Weiss picked it up. It was cold already, but she did not care. "Thank you," she said to Blake and took a bite. The meat smelled of smoke and tasted slightly charred in places, but Weiss was hungry.

"I have to get some sleep," said Blake, "Would you mind taking the watch?"

"Wait!" implored Weiss, "We should talk."

Blake looked at her intently, her golden eyes meeting Weiss' blue ones. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

To be perfectly honest, Weiss didn't know. Everything was going as well as could be expected, but there was still something off. Blake just seemed completely unreadable to her.

"That's not it," she started slowly then took a deep breath and continued straight to the heart of the issue, "Why do you put up with me?"

Blake's face betrayed no immediate emotion, but her cat ears twitched. "What do you mean?" she replied.

Weiss stayed silent. It was difficult to say something like that. Even just thinking about what she wanted to say made her feel… worthless. "I'm just a burden for you," she said at length, "I can't hunt, I can't find water, I need to rest all the time."

She lowered her eyes in shame. She had just admitted weakness like that and she did it to a Faunus girl she barely knew in spite of travelling with her for several weeks. Had she just stayed silent, things would continue like before until they reached Vale. Now, Blake would have to do something. Weiss was going to get abandoned. Her father would probably be happy if he ever found out about it.

"Weiss." Blake's voice cut into her thoughts, slow and deliberate. "When someone gets too old in the White Fang to fend for themselves, they have to leave the village and lure as many Grimm as they can as far away as they can. It's supposed to be the last service they can give to the tribe."

Weiss didn't understand what this had to do with their current situation unless Blake intended for her to serve as Grimm bait in an emergency.

"I did it to my own parents," continued Blake, "Helped force them out of the village because they were getting old. That was a year ago. I thought it was the right thing to do, that it was necessary."

Hearing this, Weiss looked up at Blake. The Faunus wasn't looking at her. She was staring into the campfire and Weiss thought that she saw moisture glitter in the corner of her eyes. Weiss closed her own eyes, since she felt embarrassed at watching Blake like that. It was difficult enough to open up herself. Watching someone else do it just made her want to run away.

"I was wrong," added Blake after another pause, "It kept going on. My mom and dad's friends, the people who helped watch over me when I was little, the woman who used to tell me stories about human cities, they were all forced to go, one after the other. And in the end, I couldn't stand it anymore. I ran away. Ran away without helping anyone."

Weiss didn't know what to say. She was always told that Faunus customs were barbaric, but this in particular seemed sensible for life in wilderness among the Grimm. One look at Blake's face was enough to tell her that it would be a bad idea to vocalize it. The Faunus' sorrowful expression had turned into one of anger.

"In truth, it wasn't just the old and the weak. Everyone who disagreed with Adam was chased out to be food for the Grimm. And I helped. I thought it was what was necessary to do." Blake's voice fell to barely a whisper and Weiss had to strain her ears to hear her over the fire. "So I won't leave anyone behind just because they're weak ever again."

This was it. A knot formed deep in Weiss' stomach. Blake thought of her as weak. She only let her come with her out of pity. Weiss hated that. First, Winter had taken pity on her and let dumb luck decide their duel. Now, Blake practically admitted that the only reason she travelled with Weiss was because she pitied her.

In her frustration, Weiss barely registered Blake moving over to sit down next to her. "But Weiss," she said, "You're not a burden. When we get to Vale, it'll be me who needs help."

Blake took Weiss' hand in her own. Weiss flinched at the unexpected touch, but didn't draw her hand away. Her face was still grave, but Blake's gesture helped somewhat. Vale. Yes, that was their goal and she shouldn't be getting disheartened when they were almost there. She tried to recall her old geography lessons. The farthest outpost under her father's rule was a week's travel away from Atlas proper and she doubted Vale would be much different. Blake was still wounded, it seemed, but she was healing fast.

"Blake… thank you," said Weiss, "I'll take watch, you should go to sleep."

"Okay," replied Blake, "Wake me up if there's anything wrong."

They switched places and soon, Blake's breath slowed down as sleep claimed her. Weiss didn't watch her. She preferred to look into the dark forest and get her eyes used to the night. Except for the slow crackling of the fire and the slight sounds of Blake's breath, the night was quiet. No night birds disturbed the still air and no wind was blowing to rustle the tree-leaves.

Weiss had no sense of time passing. Occasionally, the moon would peek out of clouds, letting patches of light show between the forest's shadows. The patches moving slightly was the only way to notice that any time had passed since Weiss took watch. She tried moving her limbs to keep them from getting too stiff even though their movement still hurt.

She found herself almost nodding off again when sounds of something scraping on the forest floor. Weiss immediately turned to look in the direction the sound came from. Red eyes were glowing in the night.

"Blake, get up!" she yelled and drew her rapier from its sheath.

Blake's eyes flew open and she rolled to the tide to her blade, getting up and picking them up in one fluid motion. One by one, more pairs of red eyes appeared in the forest. In these numbers, it was probably Beowolves. Not taking her eyes off the forest, Weiss took position with her back to Blake, the campfire in between them. Moon once again appeared from behind the cloud cover and revealed several large, brutish shapes between the trees. Beowolves. Weiss counted three on her side.

One of the Grimm, slightly larger than the others, lifted its head and let out a mournful howl. The signal to attack given, the Grimm rushed forward all at once. Weiss slashed her rapier while dodging to the side, leaving a shallow cut on one of the monsters. A sharp cry dissolving into a gurgle let her know that Blake was more successful. One of the Grimm collapsed onto the campfire, extinguishing it with its body before dissipating into nothingness.

The remaining five Beowolves now clustered together on their campsite, one of them limping slightly. They started to spread out to the sides to give themselves more space to rush at Blake and Weiss. Blake started to move first, moving to the side to check the monsters' advance. A split second later, Weiss imitated her and move in the other direction. A pained whine told her that Blake caught her target. Her own movement was slower and less sure because of the dark night lit only by moonlight, but she managed to catch the wounded Beowolf with the tip of her blade. The beast died without a sound, Weiss' blade piercing its throat.

With half of their number gone and caught between Blake and Weiss now, normal animals would have run away, no matter how hungry they were, but Grimm were driven by blind bloodlust , not just hunger. The leader howled again and the remaining three rushed at Weiss together. Weiss took a step backwards, but a tree trunk blocked her way. In panic, she ducked and thrust her blade blindly upwards. It caught the leader Grimm, killing it, but not stopping its movement. The body crashed into Weiss and propelled her into the tree before slowly vanishing.

The body shielded Weiss for the moment while she had her breath knocked out of her. Blake was already intercepting the last two Grimm. Focused as they were on getting to Weiss who was temporarily buried under the carcass of their leader, the beasts did not have time to react to Blake's blades. They fell to the ground dead, dissipating moments later.

The rush of the fight left and all the pain Weiss had suppressed during the last few moments returned. Her limbs felt like they were on fire and her rapier fell from her hand. "Are you hurt?" asked Blake, concern evident in her voice.

"No wounds," forced out Weiss, "But I don't think I can move."

The forest started to grow brighter. Dawn had come and the sun would rise over the horizon shortly. No time would be better to set out, but Weiss' muscles refused to cooperate and any attempt to move was met with excruciating pain.

"I can help you walk," said Blake, "I'm fine, didn't even feel the wound just now."

Weiss didn't want to. She wanted nothing more than to just stay lying against the tree and let her overtaxed body relax. "We can rest a bit more," she mumbled, her eyelids closing, "It was a small pack, Winter must have cleansed most of the Grimm around here."

Instead of an answer, she heard Blake's steps coming close to her. Then, she felt herself being lifted into the air and coming to rest against what seemed to be Blake's back. Her face was buried in Blake's hair, but her sore muscles prevented her from fighting back. "Hold on to me," commanded Blake.

"You're wounded," protested Weiss feebly, but she forced herself to wrap her arms around Blake's shoulders.

"I'm fine," said Blake, "and besides, I won't be able to move very fast carrying you."

Weiss wanted to protest further, but Blake had already set out. She did not walk very fast and the warmth of her body, the smell of smoke and campfire In her hair, and the soft rhythm of her footsteps worked together to make Weiss fall asleep again.


	8. VIII - Vale

The city of Vale came into view a long time before Blake and Weiss arrived there. The deep forest grew sparser with each day and, finally, on the tenth day after they left the little town, the trees gave way to open space and farmland broken only by occasional farmhouses continued down to the sea where Vale sat.

The trip took longer than expected because of Weiss. After being carried by Blake for a day, the girl was rested enough to walk an entire day on her own, but the pace was slow. Now that she knew how worried Weiss was about her lack of survival skills, Blake did what she could to hide her anxiety about the slow pace of her progress.

"We made it," said Blake when Vale came into view, "It's all farmland from here."

Weiss smiled at her tiredly. It didn't seem as if she had fully recovered from the exertion from going all out against Winter and then fighting the Grimm pack. They didn't stop for a rest longer than a single night, but Blake still wondered just how strong Winter was to exhaust Weiss so much.

"Can you go on?" asked Blake, "We won't get to the city today at any rate."

"I'm fine," said Weiss with a frown. Was it just Blake's imagination or was Weiss keeping her distance ever since they set out from the little town? Maybe she made a mistake in revealing her reasons for running away from the White Fang. Now that Weiss knew what Blake was capable of, it only made sense to keep away as much as possible. Blake couldn't blame her.

The landscape was sloping gently towards the coast and the fall sun was still warm enough that the gentle sea breeze felt pleasant. They continued heading towards the city that was now lost behind the various hedges and tree rows that divided the numerous small fields from each other. Blake was right that they wouldn't reach it today, but the hedges and trees provided enough shelter for a campsite. The water in the irrigation ditches was muddy, but straining it through cloth should be enough to make it drinkable.

While Blake was busying herself with making sure they'd have enough clean water, Weiss stayed by the campfire and rummaged through her pack. When Blake returned, Weiss had apparently finished what she was doing and was staring into the fire. Blake had warned her several times that doing it would damage her ability to see in the dark, but Weiss did not seem to care. The fire fascinated her, she said without offering any further explanation.

"Here, it should be drinkable," Blake said and offered Weiss one of the freshly filled waterskins.

"Thank you," replied Weiss and took a drink. Blake observed her. Weeks spent outdoors did leave their mark on Weiss' skin, giving her a very slight tan, but her throat was usually covered during the day. As a result, it positively shone against the dark backdrop and Blake felt transfixed for a moment. She really hoped Weiss would stick around after they arrived in Vale. Blake would be lost in a large human city, but Weiss being there would be like a gift from heavens.

"Blake…" Weiss' voice interrupted her thoughts. "I was thinking… It might be easier if you were to… conceal that you're a Faunus." She handed Blake a strip of fabric. It was black and felt much rougher to touch than Weiss' dress.

"I picked some fabric back in the town to fix our clothes if needed," explained Weiss, "But you could tie it like a ribbon over your ears. That way no one will know you're a Faunus."

Weiss paused for a moment then drew in a sharp breath. "There's no… customs against things like that, are there?"

Blake shook her head. "No, there aren't," she replied, "I don't think anyone ever needed to think up something like that before."

She began to start tying the scrap of fabric into her hair, but it proved to be a difficult task. Her ears stubbornly refused to be flattened by the ribbon and the ribbon itself kept slipping off.

"Let me help," offered Weiss.

"Thank you," said Blake and lowered her head to allow Weiss easy access.

Weiss still had to stand up to properly reach Blake's hair, but once she did, she set to work immediately. "Tell me if it hurts," she said.

It did not hurt, though Blake did find the resulting pressure on her ears a bit uncomfortable. When her ears tried to twitch, she could feel the ribbon move.

"How is it?" asked Weiss whose hand still lingered in Blake's hair.

"It's…" Blake paused, "Fine. Thank you." Lying to Weiss just because she wanted her to take care of Blake's hair for a bit longer was a childish idea.

"Good," said Weiss, but she did not remove her hand and Blake was now painfully aware of it. "I should take it off for you before you go to sleep," she added.

"I should get used to it," replied Blake and straightened his posture.

After a moment of hesitation Weiss lowered her hand. "I suppose you're right," she said, "But tell me if it gets uncomfortable."

"I'll take the first watch," said Blake, "I don't think we're in any danger here, but just in case."

Blake watched as Weiss settled down to sleep. The piece of cloth binding her ears felt like a reminder of how close Vale was with all the uncertainty it was going to bring. Weiss had said many that she wanted to stay with Blake, but until the moment of decision actually came, Blake couldn't help but worry. Weiss had a place to go back to. If Blake was allowed to live after coming back, she would be exiled. That was the least harsh sentence for abandoning one's duty to the tribe.

She was so lost in her thoughts and doubts that she did not even think about waking up Weiss before her consciousness faded into sleep. Blake realized that when she woke up to Weiss shaking her shoulder with a smile on her face. "Wake up, sleepyhead," said Weiss.

Blake looked at Weiss with suspicion. Whatever was going on, it made Weiss far more cheerful than usual. Maybe a full night of sleep after their time on the road was what helped. "How long is it since you woke up?" asked Blake.

"I'm not sure," replied Weiss, "An hour? More importantly, I saw that an Atlesian fleet was sailing towards Vale. That must mean everyone thinks I'm dead."

Something about Weiss' tone of voice suggested that she thought that this was good news. "Why do you think that?" Blake asked while getting up and adjusting the hair ribbon that had slipped askew during the night. "And why are you so happy about it?"

"Father wanted my marriage to help with establishing an alliance with Vale. Now that I'm gone, he has to send gifts or something similar to make the same gesture. Since he's doing it, it means that they gave up on looking for me," Weiss explained.

"I think I understand," said Blake, "Shall we go to the city then?"

Once they set out and started their slow descent towards Vale's gates, Blake could use the cluster of large ships moving towards the city with her own eyes. They moved slowly, but by the time Blake and Weiss descended low enough to lose sight them, it seemed as if they were starting to dock.

The city gates were thrown wide open and a steady stream of travelers was moving through them. Even then, guards kept lookout for approaching Grimm and multiple portcullises were ready to drop and block access at moment's notice. Blake and Weiss looked human enough to be let in without trouble.

Compared to the small town, the city of Vale felt enormous. The streets were wide enough to admit two wagons side by side, but any wagon would be forced to progress slowly because of the number of people blocking the street.

"Do you have an idea where we should go?" asked Blake. The city gates were still in sight and she already felt loss.

"I have an idea," said Weiss, "Follow me."

Weiss started to move at a brisk pace, weaving through the crowd in a way, Blake could only barely imitate. The gates were soon lost behind them, but Weiss seemed to be following signs towards some sort of a goal. Compared to the area near the gates, the houses seemed more elaborately decorated and there seemed to be slightly less people around.

They eventually emerged on a large avenue that seemed to be cutting the city into two halves. "I read about this before I was sent to Vale," said Weiss, "The main avenue goes from the Council's palace to the docks. Everyone important comes to Vale by the sea."

"You want to meet the delegation from Atlas?" asked Blake.

Weiss shook her head. "I just want to see what they're bringing as a gift," she said, "There's only one thing valuable enough to secure an alliance, but I have to be sure."

"Why would Atlas need an alliance anyway?" continued Blake, "Even I know there hasn't been a war between kingdoms in generations and the last time there was one, the Grimm killed both armies before they could fight each other."

"Let's head to the Palace," replied Weiss, "I'll explain on the way."

Weiss' pace was more relaxed as she led the way towards a building that seemed larger than the entire village where Blake grew up. "There were rumors of the Faunus tribes getting restless," she said, "Merchants getting ambushed and enslave. Mines raided and the slaves freed. If a large scale conflict with the Faunus came, the alliance would be able to attack from two directions. Atlas would take the captives as slaves for the mines while Vale would take the land for new settlements."

Blake listened the entire time. The idea made sense from the Kingdoms' perspective, but she knew that it would most likely end up in a disaster. The White Fang was united, used to travelling in the wilderness and knew where all the most dangerous Grimm packs lurked. "It would end just like the last war," said Blake, "The humans would be ambushed, led to Grimm. No one would survive."

Weiss stopped and looked towards the sea. Blake followed her gaze and saw that a large procession was starting to move along the avenue towards the palace. Weiss turned around to continue on the way towards the palace and resumed speaking, "The plans are different. Last time, the land between Kingdoms was an obstacle, now it's the battlefield. The forest will be cut down, burned down if necessary. The armies will build fortified camps and strongpoints on the main land route between Atlas and Vale along with a proper route. No Faunus attack will be able to approach in secret. It's not a raid. It's something that might take years to accomplish, but the end goal is a secure fast road between Atlas and Vale."

Blake's mind struggled to keep up with these new ideas that she had never considered before. It all seemed plausible. Even though Adam boasted that the White Fang would bring down the walls of Atlas and Vale, the only way he knew was using Grimm. A fortified road would be almost impossible to retake.

By the time they arrived at the Palace a small crowd had gathered there to observe the arrival of the envoys from Atlas. Even though Blake and Weiss looked like travelers and not locals, it was easy for them to fit in with the crowd.

"This is the first time I'm glad to be short," whispered Weiss, "No one from the procession should be able to see me."

Blake smiled at her, but immediately went back to keeping watch. She could see no Faunus in the crowd. If there were any, they must have been hiding like her. Vale was supposed to be more open and even accept free Faunus living in the city, but Blake was unable to see any proof of it so far.

The procession had finally arrived at the plaza in front of the palace. The front door above a marble staircase opened and a richly dressed man who Blake assumed to be a council member stepped out, taking a spot on a platform above the crowd.

The envoys from Atlas dismounted and a dignified old man spoke up in a clear voice that easily carried above the crowd, "I am honored to come to this great city bearing greetings from His Majesty Jacques Schnee, the King of Atlas, to the people and the Council of Vale. In order to bring forth greater prosperity to our kingdoms, I present the greatest invention of Atlesian scholars and craftsmen as a gift.

"Of course it would be this," mumbled Weiss so quietly Blake could barely hear her among the crowd.

A decorated wagon covered in cloth was wheeled forward. On the dignitary's signal the cloth was pulled off revealing a large contraption constructed from wood and metal. It did not look like it used precious metals, but Blake was unable to discern its practical purpose.

"Let's go," said Weiss while tugging on Blake's arm.

The dignitary was about to speak again, but Blake let herself be led away by Weiss. She was curious about the contraption, but it seemed that Weiss would be able to explain its purpose just as well.

Weiss stopped once they made their way out of the crowd and into a quieter side alley. "What was that all about?" asked Blake.

"My father's secret card. The one thing he was more loath to give up than anything," said Weiss, "It's a printing press: a machine for copying books quickly."

"Books?" queried Blake, "Why would something like that be so precious?" Sure, books were expensive, but a machine to make many of them didn't seem like such a priceless treasure.

Weiss stared at her for a moment and then blinked. "You don't understand how that could change everything?"

Blake shrugged. "I can't read."

"You can't…" Weiss seemed utterly shocked. "I sometimes forget you're… from outside the kingdoms."

Weiss looked around. "Where should I start?" she wondered as she kept examining the alley. "In short, it means that one could make hundred copies of a book in the time it would take to copy one by hand. Almost anyone can get books now. Father had already started to compile information about the Grimm from hunters and scholars. If the army could easily copy those, it would be much easier to train for fighting them and that would mean more territory, more fertile land, more power."

Weiss paused, giving Blake's a moment to absorb all the information. Blake herself remembered when some experienced warriors died fighting the Grimm and no one could remember all they could teach. The White Fang sometimes captured books from caravans and Adam kept those for himself, but it was easy to see how fragile books were. Just like people when compared to Grimm. But if there could be a way to get a great number of books, they would no longer be fragile. The tribe taught that strength lay in numbers and knowledge. Now books would be able to have both.

"But almost no one can read," protested Blake, voicing the only objection to Weiss' words that she could find.

Weiss smiled. "That's true, but they could learn," she said, "So now I have a way of making a living heir in Vale."


End file.
